Also called: Computer Restoration Technician, Computing History Conservator
Brings old mainframes, arcade boards and early PCs back to life for museums, collectors and businesses that still depend on them.
A 1970s minicomputer arrived at the museum with dead power supplies, so you replace bulging capacitors and test each circuit board on the bench. In the afternoon you rebuild a corrupted floppy disk image so the machine can boot for a public demo. Visitors watch you work through a glass wall.
Few full-time museum jobs; many work freelance or for collectors, so pay varies widely.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate degree in electronics, or self-taught repair skills plus volunteer work.
Ways in: 2-year college, Self-taught, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Electronics Technology, Computer Engineering, Museum Studies.
Growing slowly. Very few jobs, mostly museums, private collectors and legacy-equipment repair shops.
Low risk for 10 years. AI can dig up old manuals, but diagnosing and repairing 50-year-old circuit boards by hand stays human.
Classes: Electronics CTE class, History, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 49-2011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.